India’s senior boys kick off Intercontinental Cup 2023 with comfortable 2-0 win over Mongolia
Posted Date – 11:21 PM, Fri – 09/06/23
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik poses for a photo with players during the opening ceremony of the Intercontinental Cup of Heroes football tournament at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday. (Ani Photo)
Bhubaneswar: The Indian senior men’s soccer team kicked off the Intercontinental Cup 2023 with a comfortable 2-0 win over Mongolia at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday.
It was the Blue Tigers’ first match in Odisha and they wasted no time in flexing their authority as Sahal Abdul Samad scored Larianzu in the 14th minute. Lallianzuala Chhangte doubled the lead with two minutes to go.
Lebanon earlier beat Vanuatu 3-1 in their opening match of the four-nation tournament to lead the standings on goals since the first match.
The Blue Tigers began their bid to reclaim the Intercontinental Cup they last won in 2018, starting in hot style and taking the lead after Anirud Thapa was freed in acres of space down the right wing. He sent a menacing low ball into the penalty area, and Mongolia goalkeeper Enkhtaivan Munkh-Erdene could only block Sahal Abdul Samad with his palm. The 26-year-old swung it first with his left foot to score his third goal in the Indian blues.
Just 12 minutes later, Tapa would also be the architect of a second goal – this time from a dead ball situation. His right corner was headed over by Sandesh Jhingan and saved by Batbold Baljinnyam. The rebound hit Jing An again, and Changte almost hid from sight, flashed past, and volleyed into the net with the outside of his left shoe. It was Chhangte’s first goal for India since his strike against North Korea in the 2019 Intercontinental Cup in Ahmedabad.
Igor Stimac’s men dominated the midfield and wide areas throughout the match, and the speed of Udanta and Chhangte and the well-oiled midfield engine of Thapa, Sahal and Apuia caused major problems for the Mongolian defense. The latter two tried to shoot from the edge of the penalty area, and the ball was slightly over the crossbar. A smooth interaction between Sahal and Udanta allowed the latter to play freely in the penalty area before he fell to the ground under the Mongolian challenge, but the referee waved the game on.
Despite India’s dominance in the first half, they were not untested defensively. Anwar Ali produced a superb challenge in the final effort, sweeping the ball past the feet of Baljinnyam Batmunkh in a rare attack by Mongolia into the Indian box.
In the second half, the Blue Tigers had fewer goalkeeper moves and a more nuanced game as their East Asian opponents sat back and were outnumbered. However, Tapa continued to tease the Mongolian defense with his set pieces. In the 83rd minute, another right-footed cross from him was headed by substitute Rohit Kumar, but it hit the crossbar.
Next Monday, India will face Vanuatu.
Before the match, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met both teams and expressed his best wishes. Also present at the event were All India Football Federation President Kalyan Chobe and Secretary-General Dr Shaji Prabhakaran.
“I am delighted to see Odisha once again welcome a grand football event at the iconic Kalinga Stadium. This reflects Odisha’s commitment to establishing itself as a renowned football hub in India. I believe, Participating international teams will have an exceptional match experience at this venue. Football lovers from Odisha will have the opportunity to witness an extraordinary showcase of the sport,” said Patnaik
